PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CureDuchenne,
a nonprofit that raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, held its inaugural Blingo
to CureDuchenne event on May 3 at the Hyatt Regency in Philadelphia.
Nearly 300 people, including Philadelphia’s top business and community
leaders, enjoyed an elegant evening of bingo and bling with celebrity
guests while raising more than $175,000 to support the most promising
research projects aimed at treating and curing Duchenne.

The event honored local entrepreneurs and philanthropists Wayne and
Kimberly Kimmel. Former Philadelphia Mayor and Pennsylvania Governor Ed
Rendell and Rakia Reynolds from Skai Blue Media were the Blingo master
of ceremonies. CNN on-air health expert Dr. Jennifer Caudle; The Preston
and Steve Show’s Marisa Magnatta; and The Monday Morning
Quarterback’s Andrew Brandt enthusiastically called blingo while
guests, dressed in their finest bling, won amazing prizes donated by
local businesses. Singer-songwriter Sarah Burgess, a contestant on American
Idol season 6, sang “Run
Away,” a song she wrote for her 7-year-old brother and other boys
who live with Duchenne. DJ Zeke Thomas kept the energy going as he spun
tunes during Blingo.

Guests were moved by a CureDuchenne
video and heard inspirational words about living with Duchenne. “I
have Duchenne, but Duchenne doesn't have me,” said Yuva Gambhir, 12, who
lives with Duchenne. “I enjoy my life. I just wanted to say that we all
have problems from time to time, just focus on the good things - there
is always a way to enjoy life. Thank you for coming here and helping us
fight Duchenne.”

Blingo to CureDuchenne highlighted the urgent need to find a cure for Duchenne,
a progressive muscle-wasting disease that impacts 1 in 3,500 boys. Boys
with Duchenne are usually diagnosed by 5, in a wheelchair by 12 and most
don’t survive their mid-20s. Currently, there is no approved treatment
for Duchenne. Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne, and Michael
Kelly, chief scientific officer of CureDuchenne, spoke about the current
status of the research and that in order to “find a cure for Duchenne we
need to fund the cure.”

“It's really great to see so many people here to support the effort to
find a cure for this disease that so few have heard about,” said
Philadelphia resident Manu Gambhir, father of Yuva who lives with
Duchenne and chair of Blingo to CureDuchenne. “We're relentless in this
fight and are making significant headway in Duchenne research. Sometimes
I think of this fight as Davids vs Goliath. To defeat this Goliath, we
need more Davids and it's nice to see that we are growing our ranks by
another few hundred tonight.”

CureDuchenne is a national nonprofit organization located in Newport
Beach, Calif., dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne, the most common
and most lethal form of muscular dystrophy. As the leading genetic
killer of young boys, Duchenne affects more than 300,000 boys worldwide.
CureDuchenne has garnered international attention for its efforts to
raise funds and awareness for Duchenne through venture philanthropy.
With the help of CureDuchenne’s distinguished international panel of
Scientific Advisors, funds raised by CureDuchenne support the most
promising research aimed at treating and curing Duchenne. To date, seven
CureDuchenne research projects have made their way into human clinical
trials – a unique accomplishment as few health-related nonprofits have
been as successful in being a catalyst for human clinical trials.